Saturday, March 31, 2018

Films That I Saw: March 2018

Well, considering all of the bullshit that’s been going on at the White House with one person coming in and another person out the door. It has been comforting to know that there is a sense of hope emerging and it could come from the least likely of people that is today’s children who really answered the call about gun control and definitely said something that needs to be done. Especially as I’m often cynical about things can see that there is something happening and might actually result in something good. There is also the fact that a porn actress in Stormy Daniels is also taking down El Stupido is proof that there is some hope while I hope she makes that low-class motherfucker go down and be impeached. Yet, there’s still a lot of work to be done as the rest of the world is also dealing with a whole lot of shit.

In the month of March 2018, I saw a total of 31 films in 16 first-timers and 15 re-watches with two of the first-timers being films directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. This month, I took a bit of a break which I’m doing at the moment due to visiting relatives and other things at home which is why I haven’t posted a lot of things lately but that’s life. The highlight of the month has definitely been my Blind Spot assignment in The Best Years of Our Lives as it’s definitely an incredible film. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for March 2018:
1. The Big Sick

This was actually a decent film about vampires struggling with a blood shortage where a scientist is trying to create a substitute only to realize there is a cure that can make vampires become human again. It’s a film with interesting visuals as well as mixing sci-fi and horror as well as featuring an excellent cast that include Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, and Claudia Karvan. It’s a film that doesn’t take itself seriously while also providing enough moments that are exciting.
Tama TuThe first of three short films that I saw that was directed by Taika Waititi comes a World War II short film about a small band Maori-based soldiers fighting in Europe as they await for the enemy. It’s a largely silent short where there is barely any dialogue where the soldiers are waiting as time goes on where they do silent jokes and such to pass the time. It’s a witty short film that play into not just the fallacy of war but also some of the darkest aspects where there is also some humanity that is rarely displayed in war films.
What We Do in the ShadowsThe second of three shorts by Waititi that I saw is the original 2004 short film that the feature-length film version a decade later would be based on. It’s definitely Waititi’s weakest film to date but still an enjoyable one as it relates to the many things Waititi and co-writer/co-director Jermaine Clement would create. It’s funny though it’s really just a draft of what would come but it is worth seeking out.
My Blind Brother

This is a film I’ve been watching in bit parts for nearly a year as I would finally watch it in its entirety as it’s a pretty good rom-com about a slacker who has a one-night stand with a woman who is dealing with the death of a former boyfriend. Then, she meets the man’s older blind brother who is this asshole over-achiever that likes to do races thinking he’s an inspirational figure to people around him. It’s a funny film as it has superb performances from Jenny Slate, Nick Kroll, and Adam Scott as the titular character as well as a funny supporting performance from Zoe Kazan.
Team DarrylThe third short by Waititi that I saw as part of the Auteurs series for the filmmaker is an extra from the DVD/Blu-Ray release of Thor: Ragnarok as it is also a sequel to the Team Thor shorts that Waititi directed. It relates to Thor’s housemate Darryl moving to Los Angeles for his job as his new housemate is none other than the Grandmaster. It’s a hilarious short film that shows what happens when the Grandmaster is in a different environment and use it to try and take over the world. It’s a short that proves that Jeff Goldblum is a national treasure.
Baywatch

This is a film that can be described best as a disappointment although it’s not as bad as people think it is. Yes, it knows what it’s doing in terms of displaying beautiful women running in slow-motion while also being very funny in some scenes. It’s just that it doesn’t really know what it wants to be in the overall scheme of things. It wants to be a comedy, it wants to be a suspense-thriller, it wants to be a homage, and it wants to be high-octane action. This is why the film didn’t connect with its audience despite the performances of Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Kelly Rohrbach, Alexandra Daddario, and Priyanka Chopra giving their best.
Top 10 Re-Watches:
1. They Live